Boca meets Bourbon Street

Joanie Besser, left and Nancy Gold, plate Potato latke after draining the oil, both originally from New Orleans, have been hosting an annual latke party for a dozen years in Boca Raton.

Joanie Besser, left and Nancy Gold, plate Potato latke after draining the oil, both originally from New Orleans, have been hosting an annual latke party for a dozen years in Boca Raton. (Carline Jean, Sun Sentinel)

Every winter, when the air turns cool and Christmas lights twinkle, a group of Boca Raton neighbors eagerly await Joanie Besser's arrival.

That's when the teacher's aid shows up with a 5-gallon jug of peanut oil, a 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes, and enough frying pans to prepare latkes and beignets for the 35 to 40 guests who attend her and fellow New Orleans native Nancy Gold's Hanukkah party.

Launched 12 years ago when Besser moved into Gold's neighborhood, the celebration began as a gathering of their two families. The party grew to include neighbors, friends and extended family who count on the event for their yearly latke fix.

"It's quite a production. The whole house smells of frying oil and latkes," says Gold, who has known Besser since nursery school. "We start peeling potatoes long before our guests show up. Then Joanie stands at the stove for two to three hours, frying latkes in two large pans. She gets so splattered with oil she has to wear a kerchief to keep it out of her hair."

Though jelly doughnuts are also traditional Hanukkah dessert, the women recently added beignets to their Hanukkah menu.

"We're constantly looking for ways to connect our New Orleans heritage with our Jewish celebrations," Besser says. "What could be a better fit for Hanukkah than beignets, our own New Orleans fried doughnuts. You can't eat too much fried food in Fat City."